Pueblo Community College will conduct its 2013 commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday at the Colorado State Fair Events Center for graduates of PCC's Pueblo and Fremont campuses.

PCC student and Cañon City resident Katharine Baum will be honored during Friday's commencement with the President's Distinguished Scholar Award.

Baum, 54, has taken the Radiologic Technology program on the Pueblo campus, a step toward a new career after retiring from the Department of Corrections. Baum already has been hired and recently started working at St. Thomas More Hospital as a Rad Tech Assistant.

The keynote speaker is Sue Mitchell, a 43-year educator who was portrayed by Kathy Bates in the Oscar-nominated movie "The Blind Side." The film tells the true story of how she helped Michael Oher improve from a 0.6 GPA to a 2.05 in high school and then to gain the Dean's List in college by achieving a 3.75 GPA. He went on to become a star with the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League.

Mitchell began her teaching career in Atlanta, Ga., but after three years returned home to Tennessee and taught in elementary school for three years, middle school for 10 years, and high school for 23 years. Her work with Oher didn't end once he began attending the University of Mississippi. Mitchell retired from teaching and moved to Oxford, Miss., to be near family and accepted a position with Ole Miss as a learning specialist.

From 2005 to 2009, Mitchell worked for the athletic department, tutoring Oher and other athletes with similar backgrounds. She continues to remain active in her sorority, Kappa Delta, as an alumni advisor, and was also the advisor to the National Champion Bartlett Cheerleaders.

As a motivational speaker, "Miss Sue" takes audiences behind the scenes of "The Blind Side," telling the story from her perspective as an educator and learning specialist. A believer that any student can achieve academic success with the right blend of motivation and applied learning, Mitchell inspires students and teachers alike to explore new opportunities in teaching and learning. For educators, she provides teaching techniques and lessons learned from four decades as an educator.

Guests for Friday's event are asked to be seated 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the ceremony.

This year, PCC has about 825 graduate candidates for either a certificate or associate degree from its Pueblo and Fremont campuses. A little more than half that number are expected to walk in the ceremony on Friday. Counting its Southwest Colorado Community College branch sites in Durango and Mancos, PCC will have about 965 graduates this year.

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